Buffalo, NY

Friday, July 22

Charlie

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I STARED OPEN-MOUTHED at my cell phone, still in shock by what had just happened. My fiancé had just sent me a text message, breaking off our engagement. Breaking off our entire relationship.

In... a... fucking... text....

“Who does that?” I said out loud, shaking in anger.

Not even a call. Just a stupid message telling me that he was confused and needed space. As far as I was concerned, he had more than he needed in his head and I was better off without him.

“Did you say something?” my father, Tony, asked behind me.

I swore under my breath. I really didn’t need this right now. I knew that if he found out Cody had just broken up with me, he’d gloat and then throw a damn celebration party. My father had been against our relationship from the very beginning. Even worse, if he knew how Cody had done it, he’d dive right into the “I-told-you-so” speech. I wasn’t in the mood.

I turned around and made up something about getting a telemarketing call.

His eyes searched mine. Fortunately, I was too angry for tears. “You look like you’re ready to break someone’s balls,” he said with a slow smile. “Don’t let them get to you, Charlotte. In fact, stop answering calls from numbers you don’t recognize. It’s a waste of time.”

“Yeah. I know.” I turned around and started walking away. “I’m going upstairs.”

“Wait. What do you think of the new pool and landscaping in the back? Nice, huh?”

My father, a wealthy real estate investor and entrepreneur, had just spent over one-million dollars for an underground swimming pool. It was surrounded by natural rock, had two beautiful stone water-falls, a private grotto, and a slide. At night, the entire thing lit up, which made it even more impressive.

“It’s gorgeous,” I admitted.

“I’m glad you approve. I spent a small fortune trying to get it right.” His smile fell and he stared at me with concern. “You look stressed out. Why don’t you take something for it and go relax outside by the pool?  It’s such a beautiful day.”

“I know. I just got back from playing tennis with Abby,” I reminded him.

Abby was my father’s “assistant” and very beautiful. Blonde, curvy, and always dressed to the nines. Even on the tennis court. She was also only a few years older than me and we got along fairly well. Sometimes, I could tell that she was trying a little too hard to be my friend, which was amusing. In reality, I knew she was more than just my father’s assistant. Everyone did. Even my mother, Bianca, who was currently living in Paris. My parents were still married, just living separate lives. Mom claimed it was because of her business – she was a former model turned purse designer. I also knew that she couldn’t stand some of my father’s business associates, who were always afoot and sometimes very annoying to me as well.  Of course, she also had her own “assistants”, including a very hot gardener, named Phillipe, and her pool guy, Ferol. It was definitely a strange relationship between my parents. I had to believe that they both knew about the affairs, too, considering the little time they spent together. My father would visit my mother once every couple of months or she’d come here. But then again, he was a very possessive man, so it was hard to imagine that if he actually did know, he was fine with it. I’d learned over the years to not ask questions, however. Neither of them ever gave me any straight answers.

“Oh. Where is Abby?”  

“She went home to shower and change. She said she’d call you later.”

He looked pleased again. “Perfect. Well, I’m going back to my office. I’ll be there if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

I went upstairs to my room, took a shower, and called my best friend, Jackie, and told her about Cody.

She gasped. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”  

“I wish I was. He didn’t even have the nerve to call me,” I said, pacing in my room.

“That’s total bullshit. You must be fuming.”

“Yeah. You could say that.”

She sighed. “Well, at least you learned what an asshole he is before marrying the turd.”

I agreed.

“You seem to be taking this pretty good, considering.”

She was right. In fact, I felt more angry than heartbroken. I just wasn’t sure which made me more upset – the fact that Cody had broken up with me or that my father had been right about him.

“I’m too pissed-off to be heartbroken right now,” I replied, although I’d shed a few tears on the shower. Mostly because I’d spent so much time preparing for the wedding. We’d planned a big, expensive one, too, with all of the bells and whistles, courtesy of my father. Even though he’d been unimpressed with Cody, he’d opened up his wallet to help pay for everything, which had been a miracle in itself. 

“I get it. Not to mention you’re stuck living at home longer,” she said.

There was definitely that.

I was tired of living with my dad. Yes, I had everything I wanted and needed at my fingertips, but it came with a suffocating price. My over-protective father still treated me like a teenager and it drove me crazy. Just the week before, I’d been at the mall with Jackie, and had caught two of his security guys following us. Right away, I called my father to complain. Of course, he’d brushed it off.  

“Believe me, I didn’t send them. They’re probably there on their own time,” he’d stated. “Don’t be so paranoid, Charlotte.”

Right.

The goons ended up following us around the mall for over an hour, trying to act inconspicuous. It had been comical, especially when we walked into Victoria’s Secret and spent twenty minutes inside. At one point, the two must have thought we’d slipped out because they entered the store and then left quickly after spotting us. Eventually, I confronted them directly and asked what in the hell they were doing. They made up some excuse about shopping for their girlfriends and then finally disappeared.  

“I can’t keep living here,” I said, walking out onto my balcony, which faced the swimming pool below. Although it looked like paradise, I wanted to be as far away from it as possible. I knew that it was just one more ploy, my father had construed, to try and get me to stay. In fact, I’d begged and begged for a pool when I was a child. His excuse was the cost, although I would have settled on anything. I just loved the water.  It wasn’t until I told him about getting married to Cody that he suddenly decided it was time to have one in the backyard.  “Maybe I should go away to college?”

“Hell, yeah, you should. Isn’t that what I’ve been telling you for the last five years? You have to stop letting your father dictate your life.”

“Easier said than done,” I murmured.

“What’s he going to do if you enroll? Lock you up in your bedroom like Rapunzel?”

“True,” I replied, walking back into my bedroom. I closed the sliding glass door, headed over to my vanity table, and sat down. “And, Lord knows I need to get away from this place. Not just this house, but maybe even New York.”

I thought about the last conversation I’d had with him about college. I’d just turned twenty.

“I told you before that you don’t need to go to college,” he’d scoffed. “Your grandfather left you the kind of inheritance that will keep you living lavishly for the rest of your life. If you go off to school, some bum will sweep you off of your feet and end up controlling that fortune someday.”

I’d argued back that I wasn’t a damn fool, but my stubborn and headstrong father wouldn’t listen. As usual. He also insisted that I live with him, at least until I received my inheritance at twenty-five. Being young and easily manipulated, I’d given in. Now that I was older, I wanted my independence and willing to do almost anything for it.

Maybe even marriage. 

The truth was, I’d been having my own doubts about spending the rest of my life with Cody, whom I’d only known for eight months. In the beginning of our relationship, he’d seemed so confident and smart. Not to mention handsome, attentive, and sweet. But, after we started making plans for the wedding, I’d noticed that he could also sometimes be a whiny, self-centered, snob.

“For sure. You don’t want to be stuck under your father’s thumb for the next two years. I hate to say this, but maybe you should have taken that modeling agent up on that offer last year?”

“Yes.” Sighing, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I looked a lot like my mother, with my strawberry blonde hair and green eyes. She been a runway model when my father had met her during a fashion-show-after-party, in Milan. He used to tell me that he’d saved her life by making her give up her career.

“Modeling leads to eating disorders, drugs, and suicide,” he used to say. “Your mother was lucky when she met me. She was living on salt water and cucumbers at the time. Her roommates were heroin addicts. The path that she was on would have eventually killed her if I hadn’t gotten Bianca out of that scene.”

Of course, her version of the past had been quite a bit different. She’d talked about traveling, parties, and meeting famous celebrities.

“I stopped modeling for him, which was a mistake,” she once told me. “Never give up what you love for anyone. You’ll one day end up regretting it.”

“I’m serious, Charlie,” Jackie said, returning me to the present. “You should really start thinking about applying to some colleges for the fall.”

I was currently working as a hostess at my uncle’s restaurant, Wine Garden, and had often thought about taking a few cooking classes. I enjoyed experimenting with foods, although I didn’t get much of a chance to cook because Dad employed a chef to prepare all of our meals. Now that I didn’t have much to hold me back, besides my overbearing father, I decided that the food service industry was definitely worth taking a closer look at. I told Jackie about it.

“That’s a great idea. Just make sure you enroll in one that’s not anywhere near Buffalo,” she said. “Maybe you can shoot for France or Italy.”

I laughed. “Right. Wouldn’t that be insane though? “My mother would be ecstatic if I moved to Europe.  

“I’m sure she would. Watch, your father will probably buy a house near the school you choose,” she mused.

My smile fell. He had the money and was an investor. With my luck, he probably would.  “Don’t jinx me.”

“Sorry. You should seriously think about going finding a culinary school, though. It would be good for you.”

“I think I will.”

“Good. Oh crap. I have to go. I’m meeting Brian for a late lunch and wasn’t watching the time.”

Brian and Jackie had been seeing each other on and off for the past year. He seemed like a nice enough guy, although I had a feeling that their relationship was starting to fizzle out. She mentioned that he was getting to be a little too clingy and needy, which annoyed her.

“Oh. No problem. How’s your mom, by the way?”  

“The same as usual.”

“Tell her I said ‘Hi’ the next time you see her.”

“Will do. Keep me in the loop about your college plans.”

“For sure.”

“See you later, Gater.”

“After while, Dile,” I replied, almost forgetting our old familiar, parting mantra.

A SHORT TIME later, I pulled out my laptop and started researching culinary schools. Of course, there were so many to choose from and I didn’t exactly know where to begin. Unfortunately, many of the top schools were in New York, which was definitely still off of my list. As I continued scouting for other ones, that looked interesting, my cell phone rang. I checked the screen but didn’t recognize the number. Curious, I answered it anyway.

“Hello?” I said.

“Cody Sanders accepted a bribe to break up with you,” a man replied in a gravelly voice. “From your old man.”

My stomach clenched up. “What? Who is this?”  

“Fifty-thousand dollars. Cash. Apparently, that’s all you were worth to him.” He hung up.

I stared at my phone in horror.

Was it true?

His dumping had been damn sudden.

I dialed Cody’s phone number. Of course, he didn’t answer the phone so I left him a message.

“Call me. I need to ask you something.”

I hung up and then tried calling back the mysterious caller. He didn’t answer either. There wasn’t an option to leave a voicemail either. Frustrated, I tried looking up the phone number on the internet, but couldn’t find anything to help me distinguish who’d called.  Frustrated, I called the number back again. This time, someone did answer. A woman.

“Excuse me, I just received a call from this number,” I said, pacing again. “It had to do with Cody Sanders?”

“This is a pay-phone,” the woman said tersely. “I don’t know anything about a Cody Sanders.”

“Oh. Sorry.” I hung up my phone and it immediately began to ring.

It was Cody.

“Did my father pay you to stop seeing me?” I said angrily into the phone after answering.

There was a long pause and then he replied. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I would have much rather heard a firm “No” than that response.

My stomach tightened with anger.

Cody wasn’t rich. He sold motorcycles for a living. I’d kept the news about my inheritance from him, because I never wanted our relationship to be about money. Of course, he knew who my father was and that we were extremely well off.

“So, is that all I was worth?” I said sharply. “Fifty-fucking-thousand?”  

“You’re not making any sense. I gotta go,” he said and hung up on me.

As much as I didn’t want to believe it, his responses had been weak, making me livid. I stormed out of my bedroom and went to my father’s office. He was on the phone, but must have noticed how angry I was because he hung up.

“Did you pay Cody to stop seeing me?” I snapped.

“What?” He gave me a puzzled look. “You two broke up?”

If it was one thing that I knew about my father – he could look anyone in the eye and lie his ass off without blinking. He sometimes did it during his business dealings and had bragged about his money-making poker-face.

I sat down across from him with my hands clenched, trying to keep my anger under control. “Someone called and told me that you paid Cody fifty-thousand dollars to break it off with me.”

His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. “Who?”

“I have no idea. They called from a pay-phone.”

“Do you have the number?”  

His answer told me all I needed to hear. Tony was more concerned with who’d called than actually denying their claims. It made me sick to my stomach.

“Dad, did you pay him off?”  

He looked at me like I was crazy. “No. Of course not. I’m footing the bill for your wedding. Why would I try and sabotage everything?”

“Because you never liked him. Don’t deny it. You told me that on several occasions.”

“Well, now I like him even less because he’s putting you through all of this,” Dad replied. “I didn’t bribe Cody. Did he actually say that I did?”

I stood up. The walls felt like they were closing in on me. I needed to get out of there.  “No. He denied it as well.”

This time my father’s poker-face failed him. I could see a flash of relief in his eyes. He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, looking much more comfortable.  “I don’t know who is spreading these rumors about me, but they’re lying. Are you sure it was a pay-phone?”

I went over the conversation I’d had with the woman.

“Let me see your cell. I want the number.”

“If it’s a lie, then why does it even matter?”

His face darkened. “Because nobody fucks with Tony Armati and his family. Get me the number. Now.”

I glared at him. “And you wonder why I want to move out?”

His expressions and voice softened. He smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Charlotte. I’m just so outraged that people are playing games.”

I stared at him hard. “You and me both.”

Tony let out a sigh. “Please. May I have your phone?”

“It’s in my room. I’ll be right back.”

As I left the office, I was still reeling. I didn’t want to believe that Tony would stoop to such a low level. I also didn’t want to believe that Cody would end our relationship for money. But, something told me that they were both capable of what was being accused and I felt nauseous.

After returning to his office, and giving my father my phone, he called the number and someone answered.

“I understand this is a pay-phone,” he said to the person on the other end. “Where exactly is it located?”

I watched him write down the information and noticed it was on Tuffler Street. Not the nicest of neighborhoods and on the other side of the city.

“Thank you,” he said and then hung up.  

“So, you have a location. How is that going to help?”

He set his pen down and sighed wearily. “Look, I didn’t do this, okay? I swear.”

“On your mother’s grave?”

“Charlotte, you’re not a child anymore. Adults don’t swear on people’s graves.”

I frowned.

“You’re right, though, I thought Cody was unsuitable for you.  The truth is, even though this is costing me a lot of dough-”

I raised my eyebrows. “Really?”

“I’m talking about the deposits I’ve made on the wedding that are non-refundable,” he explained with a pained look. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re free of him. Now you can meet someone who will take good care of you. A man that will have your best interests in mind.”

God, he was so old fashioned.

“That’s just it, I don’t need anyone to take care of me. In fact...” I told him about my plans to go to culinary school.

He brushed it off again, just like I knew he would. “If you want to learn to cook, I’m sure Berta can teach you what you need.”

“It’s not the same thing and you know it.”

We went round-and-round with the discussion.  In the end I stormed away, furious at my chauvinistic father who was so damn narrow minded; I knew he’d never give me his blessings for anything other than what he wanted. Which, once again, had me wondering about the call from earlier. I knew there was only one way to find the truth.  

Determined to do just that, I called Jackie again. Fortunately, she answered. I told her about my conversation with my father and how I’d decided to confront Cody, face-to-face.

“Tony might be an award-winning fibber, but Cody couldn’t lie to save his life.”

“True. So, you’re really going to do this?”

As much as I didn’t want to see him, I knew it was the only way. “Yes. I need to know for sure.”

“Alright. I’ll tag along for moral support,” she said. “When do you want to do it?”

“The sooner the better. Tonight he has a meeting with some clients at Murphy’s. I’d like to catch him when he’s least expecting it.”

She groaned. “Murphy’s? Yuck. Really?”  

“Yeah. Sorry.”

Murphy’s was a dive-bar, if ever there was one. But, Cody was a cheapskate and most of his clients were sketchy.   

“I should have known. Well, we’d better spray ourselves with Lysol before entering that shit-hole,” she mused.

Knowing what a neat-freak she was, I pictured her sliding a small can of it into her purse. “You can wait in the car. I’ll go in myself.”

“Oh, hell no. I want to see his reaction when you confront him. I’m driving, by the way, so I’ll pick you up. What time is good for you?”

“I’m not sure. Should we have dinner first?”

“Yeah. Sounds good. I’ll need a couple of drinks to get me into Murphy’s.”

I smiled. “Okay, How about seven? If you’re driving, I’m buying.”

“Sounds good.”